Another Media is Possible

CMJ’s Communications Strategist, Karlos Gauna Schmieder, co-chaired the USSF communications work group and coordinated the regional to national media strategy of the groundbreaking event.

The Social Forum movement—conceived as an alternative to the World Economic Forum—is a space for social movements and progressive sectors of civil society to meet and discuss ideas and solutions to the world’s continued economic, ecological, and human rights crises.

While U.S. corporate media coverage of the very first national US Social Forum left much do be desired, global south coverage broadcast to the world—and particularly to the rest of the Americas—the existence, the faces, and the work of some of our best people and social movements. Telesur, for example, ran many stories on the forum, even as often as every 45 minutes. Radio Bemba ran almost continuous coverage during the forum, much which ran on their sister networks across Latin America.

Outlets and reporters from Nepal, Spain, Germany, Latin America, Mexico, Finland, Venezuela, Ireland, Canada, India, Haiti, Cuba, Italy, Kenya, South Africa, and more covered the forum and put a new face on the movement for racial and gender equality and social, environmental and economic justice inside the United States for our allies around the world.

• Check out audio, video, and stills from the forum.
• Read articles and news reports on the forum.

As part of our support for USSF communications, Karlos participated in the People’s Freedom Caravan, a caravan of over 80 grassroots community organizations from across the south and southwest United States. The caravan hosted three documentary film crews from Canada, Germany, and the United States, and reporters from YES! magazine and other progressive outlets that documented the caravan while it was on the road. The People’s Freedom Caravan garnered over 350 news stories. Check out this report on the caravan from Southwest Workers Union.